New York — The UN expressed deep concern on Monday over the risk of escalation in Syria after US forces shot down a Syrian fighter jet and Iran fired missiles at a suspected Islamic State (IS) base in the east. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the UN was unable to independently confirm the downing of the Syrian jet on Sunday near the IS stronghold of Raqqa in eastern Syria or the Iranian claim that six missiles hit an "IS command base" in Deir Ezzor province. The incidents "bring up more broadly our deep concern about the risk of possible miscalculation and escalation in the conflict in Syria", said Dujarric. "We believe that this risk is heightened when efforts to combat Daesh and other listed terrorist groups are not combined with the pursuit of a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian conflict," he added. Daesh is the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.
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